Seriously injured Dennis Port man thanks coworkers for fast work

Friday

The 31-year-old Dennis Port man who lost a leg in a wood chipper accident in South Yarmouth Friday morning, Nov. 16, remains in stable condition at Cape Cod Hospital.

James Blaney slipped and his leg was caught in the chipper according to police reports.The accident occurred while the crew was working at a home on Highbank Road. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is involved in the followup investigation.

Other members of the work crew from Triple Crown Tree Company, Kevin McCarty, 30, of Concord, and Nicholas Callahan, 29, of Dennis Port, worked quickly to help save Blaney. "McCarty immediately called out for help and placed the machine in reverse. Callahan removed his belt and used it as a tourniquet around the victim's left leg, elevated it, applied pressure, and they both kept the victim calm as possible until Police and Fire arrived," a statement from the YPD said.

Blaney issued the following statement, released by the Yarmouth Police Department Monday morning.

"Thank you to everyone and your prayers, my coworkers saved my life, and if it wasn’t for Nick and Kevin I don’t think I would be here today, I've received an overwhelming amount of support, the chief of police called today to see how I was doing and I remember the EMT came to check on me last night as well, it's hard to accept the fact I no longer have a leg and it will be a long road ahead of me but I'm alive and that's all due to an army of first responders, my coworkers, and a fantastic team at Cape Cod Hospital."

A Go Fund Me campaign (www.gofundme.com/james-blaneys-road-to-recovery) has been started to raise funds for Blaney.

"James is a very kind caring individual, who would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. It is our time to help him when he needs it the most. As he is usually the first person to reach out when everybody else needs it. We thank everyone in advance for your contributions and continued words of encouragement and support. Every little bit will help as he has to maintain car payments, rent, and many other bills. Thank you again," the Go Fund Me page reads